1. Who and what is the SFUAA? How can I get involved?
The San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance is an alliance of organizations and individuals committed to expanding and improving urban agriculture in our fine city. You can find our complete mission and a list of participating organizations here. You can join the SFUAA by filling out a Membership Form, or drop us a line at info@sfuaa.org.
You can also get involved by supporting one of our campaigns. Please visit our Advocacy page to learn more about the proposal and how to get involved.
You can also get involved by supporting one of our campaigns. Please visit our Advocacy page to learn more about the proposal and how to get involved.
2. How do I start my own food growing project?
Free Farm
This is a complicated question, as there are many nuances to growing food, and the social and political dynamics of open space varies. Check out the SFUAA's guide to Starting a Garden or Urban Farm in San Francisco which answers questions on how, what and where to get started on your garden or urban farm.
Are you planning to grow on public land, and if so, which agency owns the land? The San Francisco City Government will be publishing a map of publicly available land within the next few months - stay tuned.
Do you have access to privately owned land? Check out this Powerpoint presentation for ideas on how to activate that land! If you don't have access to any land at the moment, this Powerpoint presentation can give you some ideas.
Want to know what the zoning rules are for news gardens in San Francisco? Read our overview fact sheet to get the basics.
The US Environmental Protection Agency also offers resources for starting your own urban agriculture project here.
For school garden resources, check out the San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance and the book How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers.
Are you planning to grow on public land, and if so, which agency owns the land? The San Francisco City Government will be publishing a map of publicly available land within the next few months - stay tuned.
Do you have access to privately owned land? Check out this Powerpoint presentation for ideas on how to activate that land! If you don't have access to any land at the moment, this Powerpoint presentation can give you some ideas.
Want to know what the zoning rules are for news gardens in San Francisco? Read our overview fact sheet to get the basics.
The US Environmental Protection Agency also offers resources for starting your own urban agriculture project here.
For school garden resources, check out the San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance and the book How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers.
3. Where can I find resources like compost, tools, and how-to's?
Alemany Farm
The SFUAA provides time for resource sharing at every monthly meeting. This list, compiled by the Garden for the Environment, is also a good start for physical resources. The Garden for the Environment hosts a number of organic gardening and composting workshops throughout the year.
Hayes Valley Farm is another good resource for workshops on topics such as soil science and permaculture. Also try Kitchen Garden SF for information on starting and maintaining a home garden.
Yards to Gardens provides an online map where neighbors can find and offer resources like mulch, tools, and gardening space.
Clean City's Green Store has a tool lending library and lends tools to neighborhood groups doing community projects.
The Department of Public Works will provide tools for big events. Contact Nancy Wong at nancy.wong@sfdpw.org or 415-641-2614 for more information.
San Francisco residents can pick up small amounts (i.e. a few buckets) of compost & soil mix made from the city’s “green bin” waste from Recology’s Public Disposal Facility at 501 Tunnel Avenue. Contact Bob Besso, Recology’s Recycling and Waste Reduction Manager, at bbesso@recology.com to check on availability.
Hayes Valley Farm is another good resource for workshops on topics such as soil science and permaculture. Also try Kitchen Garden SF for information on starting and maintaining a home garden.
Yards to Gardens provides an online map where neighbors can find and offer resources like mulch, tools, and gardening space.
Clean City's Green Store has a tool lending library and lends tools to neighborhood groups doing community projects.
The Department of Public Works will provide tools for big events. Contact Nancy Wong at nancy.wong@sfdpw.org or 415-641-2614 for more information.
San Francisco residents can pick up small amounts (i.e. a few buckets) of compost & soil mix made from the city’s “green bin” waste from Recology’s Public Disposal Facility at 501 Tunnel Avenue. Contact Bob Besso, Recology’s Recycling and Waste Reduction Manager, at bbesso@recology.com to check on availability.
4. Where can I find funding for my project?
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission offers a waiver or reduced-fee option for installing a new meter on urban agriculture sites. The funding for the program is limited, but if you need a new water hookup for your project, this could save you up to $8,000.
The University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) offers the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Competitive Grants Program. The deadline is often mid-December.
The City of San Francisco offers the Community Challenge Grant, which has funded a number of great urban agriculture projects in the past.
The SF Recreation and Park Department (SFRPD) also offers the Community Opportunity Fund which provides funding for capital improvement projects on public land owned by SFRPD.
The University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) offers the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Competitive Grants Program. The deadline is often mid-December.
The City of San Francisco offers the Community Challenge Grant, which has funded a number of great urban agriculture projects in the past.
The SF Recreation and Park Department (SFRPD) also offers the Community Opportunity Fund which provides funding for capital improvement projects on public land owned by SFRPD.
5. How do I find an urban agriculture project near me?
Alemany Farm
For a list of urban agriculture organizations addressing various steps in the food system in San Francisco, California, and nationally, see the SFUAA Member Organizations and the Green Guardians website.
For a map of public open spaces in San Francisco (including community gardens), see this collaborative map, originally compiled by students at the University of San Francisco, which now includes input from the general public.
For a map of public open spaces in San Francisco (including community gardens), see this collaborative map, originally compiled by students at the University of San Francisco, which now includes input from the general public.
6. What about soil toxicity? I heard it's bad here!
Free Farm
It can be! But don't let that discourage you. You can test the soil for heavy metals and hydrocarbon-based toxins. Alternatively, you can attempt to "phytoremediate", using plants that DO absorb toxins to purify the soil (past research on this can be found through Boston's Food Project). There's also mycoremediation. A common solution is to build raised beds with new soil. Or, you can try the sheet-mulching method, as seen at SFUAA member site Hayes Valley Farm.
7. What grows in San Francisco?
Free Farm
We are blessed with a mild, year-round growing climate, which affords us the ability to grow most common fruit and vegetable crops. An abridged list would certainly include: apples, pears, plums, lemons, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, peas, lettuce, celery, spinach, beets, radishes, broccoli, kale, collards, mustard, and of course rutabaga. It's probably better asked: what can't grow here? This list might include okra, melons, and asparagus beans...but people are still trying to grow them anyway, so we won't say you can't!
Here are some great books that have a wealth of information about growing food in San Francisco:
Here are some great books that have a wealth of information about growing food in San Francisco:
- Golden Gate Gardening by Pam Peirce
- Western Garden Book by Sunset Magazine
8. Can we really feed the city with city-grown food?
While we can't imagine a time when we run out of ideas, skills, and resources to grow a little more in our very limited city growing space, the SFUAA does realize there are limits to what we could possibly grow for our large population. However, the lessons of the WWII Victory Gardens (when 40% of the country's veggies were being grown by city people themselves) give us hope that we could do much more than we are doing now.
We consider our efforts to grow super-local foods a supplement to the crucial work of preserving our peri-urban and rural lands. Without this regional "food-shed" production, San Francisco could never hope to feed itself at current populations. As it is now, our food's origins are global and mysterious. City-grown food, even if it composes only 5-10% of what we eat, is local, traceable, and delicious.
The City of San Francisco hosts a website with information specific to San Francisco's food system. On the website, you'll find information on buying healthy food for your workplace or family, applying for Food Stamps, finding a farmers market, and discovering what San Francisco policy-makers and researchers have said about our food.
We consider our efforts to grow super-local foods a supplement to the crucial work of preserving our peri-urban and rural lands. Without this regional "food-shed" production, San Francisco could never hope to feed itself at current populations. As it is now, our food's origins are global and mysterious. City-grown food, even if it composes only 5-10% of what we eat, is local, traceable, and delicious.
The City of San Francisco hosts a website with information specific to San Francisco's food system. On the website, you'll find information on buying healthy food for your workplace or family, applying for Food Stamps, finding a farmers market, and discovering what San Francisco policy-makers and researchers have said about our food.
